A Choice to Remember
by Agrithnum-aut
Summary: As Natsu is left by Igneel, he feels that nothing else could go wrong. Soon enough, life has decided to prove him wrong, and he will be facing decisions he'd thought he would never have to. How will the story go? Will Natsu survive what's to come, or will Natsu pass on without a trace?
1. When You Want To Escape

**Hello all of you Pomeranian huskies, my name is Agrithnum-aut here with another story! As many of you might not know, I am revamping five of my stories. I don't feel like having such cruddy writing up in place of something that could be great. So, I've come up with another storyline for this story, A Choice to Remember, so it coincides with what I wanted to do in the first place. I guess I let too much excitement drag me away, so I'll think that I'm going to rewrite it into something amazing. Hopefully any fans of the last, if there were even any to begin with, don't hate me too much.**

 **Now that's out of the way, let me give my reasoning. That story wasn't my best writing, not at all by any means. I think that I made it to kind of test some waters, but now that I've read some more and have brushed up the pen, I think I'm ready to give it another go… with a twist. On with the story!**

In a white forest there laid a pink haired boy, soundly dozing off in a pile of soft hay. On his small, yet surprisingly muscular frame from years of training he wore ragged, tight clothing that seemingly clung to his body. He had several small scars that littered his hands and feet from constant use of hand to hand combat, mostly against the boulders and trees that littered the surrounding area for miles. A soft breeze trickled in carrying an undistinguishable scent, one that gave the boy a startling jolt to the waking world. Early in the morning was it, where he awoke at a rather bloody smell, filled with other smaller scents of ash and burning wood.

Small rivets of smoke trailed into the cave he had been living, carrying the same scent that had shocked him already. He looked around seeing a scarf and a rather crudely drawn note adjacent to it. He grabbed the scarf first, feeling more secure with the scent of his father, the Fire Dragon King Igneel, the one that had taken care of him for the better part of seven years, since he was a baby.

He sighed in content as he grabbed the note, not knowing of the contents inside. Much to his shock, he wished he hadn't been awakened from his slumber. He started to quake as the first words of the letter had come to his attention.

 _Dear Natsu,_

 _It's been awhile since I found you in the middle of winter, huddled in a golden glow of magic that protected you. Even still, it pains me to write this letter to you after all of the time we had spent together living, training, and having fun. As I dreadfully woe at this decision, I feel that it was for the best that I had left, so that you can see the world that you live in for your own eyes, with me watching from whatever heavens are above._

 _You might be asking why? Why did I leave so suddenly, without a trace of warning beforehand? It was because you are special, Natsu. You have a shocking potential to grasp magical concept, to even discover new depths of your own power at such a young age, and the magic you hold is pure. So pure that even the darkest of magic wouldn't expel your flames. Do not lose hope, my son. I need you to focus on living on, for the both of us. I would have stayed, believe me I would have, but something of great importance has drawn me away from what we have done together. I fear that I may not be around to see you grow, but I will always be with you, in your heart. Never forget that._

 _Your father, Igneel._

By the time he'd finished the letter, tears had sprung fresh from his eyes, creating a small stain against his clothing from sadness. Even then, he still couldn't believe what had just happened, as if his entire world. Soon enough, his grief had quickly turned to anger, whereas he had unconsciously let loose a large portion of magic. An explosion quickly followed, a roaring fire quickly streamed in spectacular fashion from the mouth of the cave.

Little did Natsu know, many dark mages were converging on his position, having caught wind of his eruption. And before he knew it, he was caught within a particularly powerful sleeping incantation he was unable to resist, and he fell to the ground as soon as he reached the cave's exit. The mages wore masks, bearing some strange circular emblem on its front along with hooded black robes. Along with this, they each carried a staff and had hold of a chain, which had several children attached to the cuffs hanging from it.

Just as easily as they had tranquilized him, they placed a pair of magic suppression handcuffs, a small beam of white light attaching the two cuffs together as the closed around his wrists. Unfortunately for Natsu, he was in for a long ride, as he would soon enough be arriving at a place that made any of his previous nightmares seem tame. The eight-year-old boy was soon enough carried off with the rest of the children to a series of large rowboats, enough to carry the forty five people boarding them.

In a small struggle against his now aching body, Natsu slowly rose to the waking world with a hammering headache, present as he held his head, biting back against the pain. To his surprise, he was met with another pair of eyes, just as anguished as his own staring directly back at him. He sighed as he stared at the handcuffs that he wore, which he visibly saw were different than the others. They were three small pairs attached to him, all made of a dark steel, and he could physically feel it sapping his energy as soon as it was replenished, leaving him unable to access his magic at all. Surprisingly, though, he still felt the natural strength of his body, and many stared at him as if he was a foreign object.

But what caught his eye was a small red haired girl, about four inches shorter than him approaching; helping tend to his wounds with what he saw as the old clothing he was wearing. It was only then that he remembered fighting back on the boat, and shortly after being cut down with a deep gash to his right arm as he tried to block it from hitting what he recognized as the girl in front of him.

"Why are you helping me? I didn't do anything to deserve it." With a small sigh, she tightened the cloth around his arm, making him wince in pain at the gesture, and felt a hand caress his cheek for only a moment before dropping away. He looked on and stared at her brown orbs, slightly shocked by her grateful expression, no matter how tear stained her face appeared to be.

"It's because you saved me. My name is Erza." He looked on in impatience, but soon realized something about the girl who had just tended to him. Why didn't she have a last name, like him? 

"Erza… what? Don't you have a last name?" She slowly shook her head, clearly embarrassed by his notion towards her, and slightly backed off of him, sitting down with her legs covering her torso, and her arms wrapped securely around them.

"I d-don't have one. I never knew my parents by anything other than mom or dad." Natsu frowned at the answer she'd given, and she considered backing away as an angered look came across his face, but she didn't know what it was particularly aimed at.

"What kind of a parent doesn't give their kid a last name? How about this; I'll call you Erza…. Red… no… Scarlet! You're Erza Scarlet, because of your beautiful hair!" She blushed a deep shade of rose, similar to her hair, and almost took the presence of a tomato, albeit a very cute tomato. Even then, with someone who she didn't even know, she still felt comfortable showing her embarrassment around him.

"N-Nice to m-meet you D-Dragneel-san." He slammed his fist on the ground, clearly irate as the pain traveled straight to the even smaller gash on his arm. With a comical cry of pain, he removed his hand from the now cracked concrete, leaving some, especially the old man sitting in the back of the dark cell they resided in, shocked by his strength.

"No formalities Erza. Just call me Natsu. I won't accept anything else. Ya hear?" She nodded slightly, smiling to herself as he sat next to her, and blushed as she saw the muscled torso of his. He didn't' have a shirt on, so it wasn't hard for her to face away with a face so red, that it could've been mistaken for paint.

"Now how the hell do we get out of here?" Almost as if answering his question, a burly guard had come to wake them, because, if he was right, it had already reached early morning the next day. With a smirk, he released the large club from his belt, and reached for Natsu, grabbing him by the injured arm with an iron-like vice. Much to Erza's horror, she knew what was about to happen to him if someone didn't stop the guard.

"Time to receive one of your many beatings, kid. A little revenge for that stunt you pulled on the boat." He slowly dragged him off as his kicked and screamed from the pain. The iron gates shut as soon as they opened, leaving Erza to crash into them with no way of getting to her friend. Screaming to let him go, heavy laughter echoed across the halls of the tower, leaving those still inside the cell terrified.

 _ **Several hours later – R-System Tower – Coast of Caelum**_

Erza cried again as the faint echoes of his screams stopped once more, afraid again for her friend that was in the midst of torture. Soon enough, she heard what was what she guessed as a dragging body, softly echoing of bare skin against the concrete floors.

Coming into her view was a very bloodied, bruised, and broken Natsu being dragged by the guard who'd taken him. With a mad cackle, the man held him by the neck and slammed him against the bars of the cell as he used a key to open the gate. She couldn't believe the state he was in as he was then again thrown to the back of the cell, hitting it with a dull thud of the impact of skin against stone. Falling slowly, his breath was ragged and his voice hoarse and even worse were the several wounds inflicted on his person. Thirteen slashes of a whip on his back and several more to his chest, accompanied by numerous gashes and missing parts of skin where blood had previously poured from. A slick layer of sweat covered his form and dirt had clogged and infected most of the gashes, along with one above his left eyebrow, giving off a greenish-red hue.

Erza had long rushed to her friend in need, and wrapped her small arms around his frame, staring on in a prolonged stare as she assessed his wounds. Tears had already come to life, springing from her closed eyelids as she stared at his broken form.

"Don't worry about it. I'm… fine… Erza…" The voice coming from between his lips was weak, giving off a faint echo across the room. Not only was it weak, but throaty and sore to listen to, as anything else that came out was a series of small pants and squeaks.

"You're not okay! What kind of jerk does this someone they don't even know! It isn't fair!" Unknowingly, she had already cradled him into her arms, holding the injured boy close to her bosom. His groans of pain had long since stopped when she had begun to hold him, and he smiled slightly when he had fallen asleep in her arms. No longer did she care about the blood that had stained her ragged clothing. It was long past the time to worry about something as small as appearance anymore- they were fighting to survive.

 _ **Time Unknown – R-System – Coast of Caelum**_

Natsu had finally recovered from the first beatings within two days, long enough for him to recover and let the old man now known as Rob, who had worked tirelessly to cover for his day work, get enough rest for the rest of their time in the tower. He couldn't help but feel guilty for making Erza and the other friends they made, namely Jellal, Sho, Simon, Millianna, and Richard. Since the time he spent in the torture rig, he and Erza had grown a lot closer, enough to where they'd constantly be teased about some sort of relationship they never really established.

Besides the point, as far as Natsu had counted, it had been ninety-eight days since they arrived at the tower, four weeks of surviving through the hell they were being put through. And now, it was four days since they'd come up with a plan of escape. The editors of the plan were mainly him and Jellal, with their plan of action including Richard, Simon and Sho.

It had taken them at least two weeks to study the guard patterns and namely, keep Natsu from going out of control from boredom. But still, it wasn't as if they had anything better to do in their sleeping time besides conversing quietly with the children and adults within the cells next to them. Everything was going just as well as it could go- a living hell.

Between the constant whippings and occasional beating, Erza had lost an eye, and in the process, Natsu had proceeded to kill the guard that'd done it, then later be beaten again, in much worse fashion and left to be in recovery again. So far, nothing was exactly going according to plan, as their raid was to happen a week prior to the present. But, there was time now, now that the guard would be passing by as they switched shifts.

So, Natsu lied in wait, having gotten his cuffs off with a makeshift lockpick they'd fashioned out of a badly broken Estoc they'd managed to acquire. So, he lied in wait in the part of the wall that was shadowed and hidden from view, shivering in excitement at a fight with the bastards that'd trapped them. Along from the dripping water that echoed along the mildew covered walls, a set of heavy footsteps had made itself known to those within the cells. It crept closer and closer, all the way until Natsu was able to peek and see the guard walking.

With a grunt of effort, he grabbed the tailcoat just in time to bring the guard close to the bars. Close enough for him to wrap an arm around his neck and slowly choke him. Almost instantly the struggle became quite apparent as the guard flailed his arms and legs about, tugging against Natsu's brute strength. Unfortunately, it was too late, for he had not enough oxygen, and then slumped to the ground with a sickening crunch. As brutal as those watching might've thought it was, Natsu chose to ignore the stares and managed to tug off the key ring attached to the man's belt. As soon as he'd gotten them, he rushed to the door and began rifling through the keys, making a considerable amount of noise as he opened the door way to his cage.

Looking back, both he and the rest of the people inside of their cage knew- the rebellion against their captors had finally begun.

Rushing through the hallways, they opened thirty, maybe forty cells full of people, and had successfully plunged the place into chaos. No longer would they cower in fear of their lives… no… they finally had enough numbers to fight back.

"Have you found Jellal yet? Natsu?!" Erza was worried for her friend, of course, and nothing would have stopped her from finding by the point they were at. But, they had yet to find the cage that their blue haired friend resided in. Where they were at the moment, they wouldn't be able to make it out and get their friend in time.

"No. I'll go ahead and keep looking, you go ahead and help the others with the fight against the guards in the bottom chamber, okay?" With a small hit to Natsu's head, Erza glared at him, making him wonder what he'd done to deserve her anger.

"No! We're finding him together! I won't let you go out and get yourself killed because of me." With a slight face palm, he signaled her along, and they continued opening the locked gates, desperately searching for their kidnapped comrade.

They raced through the halls, bolting past guards and the like as they elevated the tower. Through many flights of stairs, magic elevators, and many of the other ways to reach the top, where they'd heard he'd been taken. It was a long run, but they had finally made it to the doors leading to the top chamber of the tower, which, was finally constructed.

They both smiled at each other, taking a moment for them to catch their breath, but, they were all so suddenly grabbed from behind and forced through the doors by two rather burly guards. Both struggled quite a bit, but, neither could exactly move as they were lifted off the ground. Before them was their friend Jellal, but something was not right about him.

He was wearing the same robes as the guards they'd passed, along with a decorative smirk gracing his face as he stared at the two. Not only that, but Grandpa Rob, the one that they'd been taken care of by, was in chains with a blade pressed tightly against his throat. Erza resisted screaming for him, resisting the temptation that would make her do anything that would get him killed.

"Now, now. Settle down you two. We wouldn't our guest here to be removed from the picture, would we?" Natsu let out a deep, guttural growl as he stared at the blue haired bastard who'd betrayed them sitting so casually on the plush chair before them. He sat up, all the while condescendingly looking at the two he'd falsely befriended.

"Now, your friends will stay in the tower, but you two may leave as long as you turn back and never look here again. You will not tell anyone, you will not cry, you will not so much as scream for help. However, it will be at the cost of this man's life." Another growl escaped Natsu's throat as he struggled against the tight grip he'd been locked into that he was unable to escape from.

"Jellal. How could you do this to us?!" Clapping as he approached Natsu, he grabbed him with a hand around his throat, using strength he hadn't had before, and lifted him high into the air, magic charging in the palm of his hand.

"Make yourself the only one getting out now, Erza. I think we have ten seconds to decide before I kill him, no? Choose wisely." Erza's eyes widened, and she swallowed the spit that in her mouth as it went dry. She started to quake as tears sprung to her eyes, her shivering becoming violent as she helplessly stared into Natsu's eyes. She pleaded him, and he smirked as a few choked words came out.

"L-Leave me…. E… Erza…"

"I can't leave you. So please don't leave me!" Her tears had begun to stream wildly, becoming small pools as they hit the ground.

"Three." She sprung up and struggled to get out of the man's grip, unable to do so as the countdown had already begun. _It can't end like this!_  
"Two." _Why does this have to happen to us now? Why?! Natsu!_

"One." The motion came from both Jellal and the guard across from her, he pushed his arm slightly to the right, and pressed it against the man's throat, preparing to take his final moments. Jellal had already begun releasing his spell, thrusting his hand forward and pointing it towards Natsu's chin. With a mad cackle, the twelfth hour had chimed on the clock, and it all became silent. Silence enveloped her mind as she made one last struggle to save them, having escaped from the guard's grasp. But even still, she was too late.

"Zero."

 **Did you like it so far? Read, Review, Comment, PM, or anything! I spent about six or seven hours writing this one piece. It may not be the best, but I'm hoping it'll give a great start to what I have planned. I also have a poll going on for any of the people who have been following me through these rough six months, and have been reading some of the worse for wear, about to be revamped work I am soon to be posting.**

 **What story comes first in the series after this one? You decide!**

 **One and the Same (Moka x Tsukune Exclusively)**

 **Rebuilding the Guild (Natsu x Erza, again…)**

 **Black and Orange (Ichigo x Yoruichi one-shot)**


	2. The Escape, Making Waves

**Welcome back, all of you wonderful readers and reviewers, I am Agrithnum-aut with another chapter for the revamped and reconstructed release of A Choice to Remember! Of course, I cannot say this enough to those who might have been enjoying it thus far previously, but I felt as if it needed a massive rewrite the size of my forearm. *Facepalm***

 **But, we were able to get a lot of insight on the treatment and trauma inside of the R-System "A.K.A. Tower of Heaven" last time, so now, we're going to jump right back into that stressful situation.**

" _L-Leave me…. E… Erza…"_

" _I can't leave you. So please don't leave me!" Her tears had begun to stream wildly, becoming small pools as they hit the ground._

" _Three." She sprung up and struggled to get out of the man's grip, unable to do so as the countdown had already begun. It can't end like this!  
"Two." Why does this have to happen to us now? Why?! Natsu!_

" _One." The motion came from both Jellal and the guard across from her, he pushed his arm slightly to the right, and pressed it against the man's throat, preparing to take his final moments. Jellal had already begun releasing his spell, thrusting his hand forward and pointing it towards Natsu's chin. With a mad cackle, the twelfth hour had chimed on the clock, and it all became silent. Silence enveloped her mind as she made one last struggle to save them, having escaped from the guard's grasp. But even still, she was too late._

" _Zero."_

Erza couldn't tell if it was her magic or her screams that deafened the room, giving off an unimaginably bright purple glow as the top of the chamber exploded in a flurry of flames. The explosion itself might have frightened some of the escapees that had managed to get to shore, but it wasn't until the waves that came after did they notice what caused it. Magic. Pure, unadulterated sadness had emanated from the pulsating stream that had steadily become stronger, continuing on for only a few minutes before dying out. That was the last thing Erza remembered before passing out as she fell, being dragged to the surface shortly after.

Drowning and suffocating, she felt the very life pass before her eyes. All the time she spent with her parents, the time she spent meeting with Simon, the baker of Rosemary Village, and the kindly nurse named Ms. Thatch that would always patch any who needed it. Even the time she spent hours in the fields and forests surrounding their village picking herbs and wild berries to help with the growing population.

Then, it all faded to nothing as her screaming stopped, the feeling of a pair of arms wrapped around her before she passed.

 _ **Time Unknown – Caelum Sea Shore**_

Gasping and coughing out the water from her lungs, she opened her eyes and closed them briefly, wincing in pain at the stinging saltwater that had managed to touch the surface of her eye ball. In the midst of her coughing fit, she couldn't help but feel terrifying chills run up her spine as a blast of heat hit her, accompanied by what she would guess as the wind coming off of the sea. _Everything's finally over, isn't it?_

Every time when she thought of where her friends might be, of what might have happened to them… it gave her shivers that she couldn't even explain. Even then, she could see the heavily breathing pink haired boy that'd saved her once again, and the old man that'd helped keep them safe on the shoreline several meters away from her. A couple of fires continuously roared to life, one next to her soaked person, and another between the two she was sure would be accompanying her.

Though, even if a lot of bad things had happened to her, the feeling of being free from the chains she'd forgotten she wore every day was something out of a dream. The feeling of letting her scars finally heal without new ones taking their place, and the feeling of having control of her life once more had finally lifted her spirits, if only a small bit.

With a sigh, she settled back down onto the ground, letting sleep take her over once again as the world faded into streaking colors, signaling her transfer to the land of dreams.

 _ **Time Unknown – Caelum Sea Shore**_

When Erza awoke, it was to the sound of Natsu's voice, accompanied by rushing winds and the far off chirping birds that sounded off into the distance. As her eyelids fluttered open, she had to squint against the burning bright light of the early morning sun, and could just barely make out the outline of Natsu's frame just above hers, a small smile across his face with one arm extended her way. Taking it, she grunted in pain as the soreness caught up to her muscles, most likely caused from the brutal treatment of her body for the past few months.

"Erza. You scared me for a second, since you were muttering some random stuff in your sleep. Welcome to the world of the waking… hehe." Looking slightly to her left, a blush covered her face as the warmth of his hand touched her own, heating up her cold fingers with but a soft touch.

"Y-Yeah… good morning, Natsu." Her voice was soft and low, almost giving a bright signal to her growing embarrassment. Even still, she knew they were finally safe, so, she felt something she couldn't explain, something she simply ignored since their escape.

Love. Who knew that such a feeling could creep into her heart, when she'd been in a place and trying time, where such a feeling seemed nonexistent before? To her, it didn't matter in the slightest, only the fact that she knew the object of which it was pointed, being the constantly excited pink haired boy across from her. But, her thoughts were soon interrupted by the elderly man they'd be sure to be traveling with, Grandpa Rob.

"Ahem. If you two are ready, I would like to take you both to a place where even you guys will be accepted with open arms." Looking back at the old man, both of them looked at each other in confusion as they heard his words, taking it cautiously, lest it not turn out to be what they were imagining. To her surprise, she spoke first, wanting to put across her worries before they went through with their sort of parental figure.

"What exactly is this place called? What kind of people will be there, awaiting us when we get there?" They were expecting something of a reassurance, but much to their surprise got a fit of loud, hearty laughter from Grandpa Rob, and passed over strange looks to the other before looking back at their parental figure.

"If you want to, we'll be going to Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail is a mage guild that is known for accepting all, exciting brawls, and having particularly powerful wizards." Natsu's ears perked up as he finished, slamming his fist against his open palm with a wide smirk. Natsu, even if Erza wasn't, was excited to see what Fairy Tail was all about, and hopefully fight strong opponents.

"I'm in." Erza looked towards him with worried eyes, and in return, received an arm that wrapped itself around her shoulders, pulling her close to the pink haired boy. _I swear, I will probably never know where all of that confidence of his comes from…_

"Don't worry about it, just lead us there, and then we'll decide if we wanna stay. I'm not about to let some more assholes put Erza through that again." As he finished, he put up one of his fists that was now encased in fire, smirking as he looked at the shocked expression contained on their faces. They'd definitely never met a Dragon Slayer before. And damn if he wasn't already proud enough of his powers already.

 **Port Hargeon – x776**

Soon enough, they'd traveled for three days, occasionally hunting for food every now and then, but still remaining off the roads and other places besides sending in the children to get clothing for them to wear. Natsu currently wore a plain white tee and matching white shorts, gray patterned lines running along its flank. Erza is currently wearing a modestly frilled white blouse, a blue skirt hung loosely around her knees, it being slightly too big for her to wear. Accompanying those clothes was a pair of small boots, adorable as they may seem, but fitting, giving her a rather lively appearance. Rob? He opted for a tight fitting shirt, having shaved the beard he'd grown since the tower incident and overall, looked much more like a fighter rather than the grandfather figure they'd imagined him to be. He accompanied it with some black cargo pants, fitting enough that they barely brushed the top of his feet from the open-toed sandals he'd acquired, similar to what Natsu preferred.

They were a tight-knit group, however, and over the course of almost three months, they'd suffered, cried, and shared enough memories to last a lifetime. Currently, they were walking along a cobblestone street, happily skipping along as they headed for a rather massive building in the distance, one that was encompassed by the building's structure that held up a bell-tower, gleaming against the midday sunlight that flashed copiously against its frame. However, that was all they could discern from their distance away from it, as they couldn't even spot the second floor up from the actual base of the building.

"Itta… So that's where we're going, gramps? I had no clue that buildings could be that big!" Rob, although still tired from their relentless energy to keep moving, smiled, patting Natsu's head with his free hand, and unconsciously brought him closer. He, above anyone else, knew that there were still bandits or any other types of dark mages throughout the world. It wasn't surprising in the least, considering his great age and wisdom.

"They can. Some buildings, such as the Magic Council's building, encompass enough space to the size of this entire city block."

"Erza! Someday, me and you are going to have a house as big as the Fairy Tail building over there… and we'll have tons of friends and parties all the time!" Erza blushed at his implications, but smiled back, and marched on with him, forcing Rob to chase after the rambunctious children.

Even then, the two fit in with the Guild's personality well. They wouldn't cause too much damage in the future… maybe? _Bah… whatever the case, I look forward to seeing how these two will change history. Makarov will be ecstatic._

 **Fairy Tail Guild Hall**

Alas, it was a normal day for the plethora of mages that were a part of Fairy Tail. From the sweetness of the sunlight that poured through the many windows and open inlets of the building, to the smell of food, desserts, and alcohol lingering heavy in the air, mixing with the softened smells of perfume and cologne that some may have been wearing. But, most importantly, everyone was happy.

Happiness, an infectious disease that threatened to tip the balance of life itself, gave those plagued with it a normally cheerful day, unaffected by tragedy or strife. But for those who had just entered, the same could not be said about their lives as of in recent history. But in a different sense, the same happiness, although mixed with a dreary sleepiness that had long since afflicted them, emanated from their down-trodden forms. But two words from the leader of the group, the mage known simply as Rob, brightened everything within the confines of the guild hall in a way that many had not thought possible.

"I'm alive." Several people, old and young, large and small, trained or novice came forth to surround the elderly man. The women of the guild, mainly the older ones, or the mothers present, showered the two children with attention and love, sending their giggling forms into fits of laughter as Natsu and Erza held onto each other.

Natsu, who had finished being practically coddled over by anyone who saw him, managed to drag Erza to the other side of the guild, which contained what seemed to him, to be a bar of sorts. Taking a table near the back, he sat down on one of the empty benches, prodding Erza to sit next to him, blushing as she took his hand and rested her form onto the bench.

"It's amazing…. Natsu. Everything Grandpa Rob said about this place is true. The people, the atmosphere, it's just… I haven't felt this happy in a long time. What do you think, Natsu?" She sent a dazzling smile his way, making him blush a bit, and turn his cheek to scratch beneath his chin.

"Y-Yeah. But to be honest… I'm just glad that you're here with me." He trailed off and simply mumbled the last part, his cheeks practically painted in a scarlet color as she leaned closer to him, enjoying the natural warmth his body seemed to give off.

"Me too…" He looked over wide-eyed, a toothy smile making its way to his face as he heard her response. _I'm glad I was saved, but I'm even happier that she came with me. Man… what would Igneel do now that I'm here. Would he be proud, or disappointed that I was captured?_

He paid Erza no heed as she rested her head on his shoulder as he stared up at the ceiling above, letting memories of the past overcome him, back when Igneel and him had lived in their cave.

 _Both Igneel and Natsu had not even step foot outside the entire day, and rather, they opted to spend the day together in their homely cave, similar to how any father and son would spend their time together. Natsu could only be amazed every time Igneel took time out of the day to just relax with him, for the enormous dragon was, simply put, his "hero."_

" _Natsu. Come here." He was broken from his thoughts as his father's voice echoed along the slickened walls of their mountainside cavern. He did what he was told, curiously staring up at the bright red and green dragon with interest. The only question that came to mind, was, simply put; What does he intend to teach me?_

 _Though from the sound of Igneel's voice, it was more or less when he had time to have one of those "talks," where he would try his best to explain something important. Nonetheless, he went, sitting in front of the great red dragon with awe and curiosity. He was always eager to train and hone his skills._

" _Is this about my training, pa?"_

" _No."_

 _Now, he was curious. "What are we gonna talk about? Is it time to move again?" The hell if he knew. For what it was worth, it was probably another one of those talks they had about girls and mating and the other nasty stuff._

" _No more moving. In fact, this is our resting place, but rather, it's time I told you something. It's something that you need to know if you want to become strong. So listen well, Natsu."_


End file.
